ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A downtown Santa Fe merchants group that feels city officials have ignored their concerns about events on the Santa Fe Plaza has filed a lawsuit contending that the city hasn't been following its own laws.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that the lawsuit filed earlier this month by Santa Fe Downtown Merchants Inc. refers to public safety, access for existing businesses and the expansion of some events beyond the boundaries set in ordinance.

Mayor David Coss says city streets are under the control of the city, which can issue a permit for groups to use them.

Coss says the Plaza belongs to everyone, not just the downtown merchants.

Elizabeth Pettus, president of the Downtown Merchants, says the group is seeking to define exactly what city ordinances do and don't require.